Feb. 21, 2024 — Prevent Blindness has announced the launch of the Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Education and Support Program as part of the inaugural ROP Awareness Week, taking place Feb. 26 to March 3.

The nonprofit offers a variety of free educational resources, including fact sheets, social media graphics in English and Spanish, a new video series, and more.  

ROP can occur in babies who are born earlier than 30 weeks of pregnancy, have a low birth weight, or experience complications that require them to receive extra oxygen for more than a few days. According to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, the preterm birth rate of single births (defined as delivery before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy) rose by 12% from 2014 to 2022. That figure for early-term birth rates at 37 to 38 completed weeks rose by 20%.

Prevent Blindness established the new program to address the growing need for ROP awareness and education, offering a dedicated webpage; an episode of the Focus on Eye Health Expert Series, featuring a discussion with Prevent Blindness Board of Directors volunteer member R.V. Paul Chan, M.D., MSC, MBA, FACS, head, department of ophthalmology and visual sciences, the John H. Panton Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, and director, pediatric retina and retinopathy of prematurity service, Illinois Eye and Ear, UI Health; and a video series based on a roundtable discussion with a pediatric ophthalmologist, psychologist, ROP nurse, young patients with ROP, parents of children with ROP, and family support organizations.